What I've Been Up To For the Past Few Months

Besides writing, of course. This is a continuation of something I started a few months ago, which was leaving a list of things I have read, watched or went to see. So, this is basically for me, but feel free to check it out if you want.

What Kind of White Person Are You?

People are quick to point out that I'm mostly white. I hear a version of the following quite often: "You certainly don't look like a(n) [Indian, Native American, Prairie Nigger]" The people who state the later are a bit insensitive to our politically correct times and usually have a Confederate flag covering more than one of their living room windows. However having 25% Indian in me was a little like having an in at Studio 54 when I went to a conference on race a couple of months ago. "Oh, another white man." "Actually, I'm part Indian." "Well, why didn't you say so? Let me show the secret non-white handshake." Oh, believe me, I played that up as much as humanly possible.

Anyway, like most surfers of the interweb I've been reading Stuff White People Like (silly honkies) and realized that a lot on the list pertained to me quite a bit. So, I thought I'd share my whiteness to the world and point out the stuff this (mostly) white person likes.



Film Festivals
Diversity
Barack Obama (I'll admit it, I've swallowed the red pill)
Wes Anderson Movies (my favorite is The Royal Tenenbaums)
Non-profit Organizations
Tea
Having Black Friends (why isn't having an Indian friend just as cool?)
Gifted Children (I wouldn't have any other kind)
Writers Workshops (a great place to hear everything you want to hear about your own work and secretly laugh at everyone else)
Microbreweries (beer is swell)
David Sedaris
Snowboarding (even though I haven't been on one in about ten years)
The Daily Show/Colbert Report (the Sunday New York Times only comes once a week. Where else can I get my news?)
Breakfast Places
Arrested Development
Apple Products
Indie Music (I liked Vampire Weekend before they played SNL)
Public Radio
The Sunday New York Times
Arts Degrees (MFA, anyone?)
Irony
Living by the Water
Sarah Silverman
Dogs (I want one)
Juno
Expensive Sandwiches (Rueben Panini, anyone?)
Standing Still at Concerts (though I will bob my head once and awhile)
Michel Gondry
Oscar Parties (I already have my list of winners for next year)
Threatening to Move to Canada (it's only a couple of hours away)
Musical Comedy
The Idea of Soccer (Remind me to buy a new Umbro t-shirt)
Graduate School (an MFA is a really great idea)
Bad Memories of High School
T-Shirts (currently wearing a t-shirt of some cool concert venue in San Diego I've never seen)
The Wire
Shorts
Having Gay Friends
Dinner Parties
Music Piracy
Free Health Care
New Balance Sneakers (the factory store is just so close)
Grammar (Yes, I do have an opinion on the Oxford comma)
Children's Games as Adults

So, to all the white people out there, what do you like?

Hardcore Hardboiled

Man, I am so far behind in posting these things.

Anyway, Thuglit's first anthology, Hardcore Hardboiled came out in June and it contain a sweet little story called If There's a Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go by yours truly. It's full of unicorns and puppy dogs and rainbow giggles... errr... not really. Actually it's full of nasty guys and guns and blood - with a hurricane thrown in for good measure.




Even though all of you have already bought copies for yourself and all of your friends, consider picking up a few more, just for the hell of it.

New Post

Hey. hey, everybody! It's been a while. Yes, I've neglected the blog for a bit, but I've been busy with other things - like writing. I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. I have some publishing news to share - which I'll get to later on - and some miscellaneous stuff I plan on posting.

I just finished a class on detective fiction. I don't know what my grade is yet, but I'm not too worried that I flunked or anything. I plan on posting all of my essays here just because.

Also, I accidentally shaved off the goatee this morning - and no it wasn't some hit 35 and go nuts thing, I had the setting for my trimmer on low and didn't realize it and oops! I had to finish the job, otherwise I'd look a little lopsided. So with a few strokes of the razor I went from 35 to 12. From grunge angst to baby face. I haven't seen my chin in twelve years - it looks the same. Also, it's very cold.

"I Can't Believe I'm Paying for Sex on My Birthday"

Happy birthday to Jim Gaffigan.

Some other people who share a birthday with Jim:

Michelle Kwan
Mo Collins
Chuck Knoblauch
Akiva Goldsman
The writer of the Hump the Stump series
Jessica Hahn
Marc Chagall
Robert Heinlein
William Kunstler
David McCullough
Ringo

Non-Oprah Book Club (kids book edition): Something Wicked This Way Comes

Patti Abbott has asked her fellow bloggers to pick a favorite kids book, and I thought of one that scared the living shit out of me when I was younger: Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes.

In the book, a mysterious travelling carnival comes to a quiet Midwestern town, piquing the interests of two 13-year-old boys who are on that edge between childhood and adulthood. But they aren't the only ones fascinated by the enigmatic carnival as other town residents visit the strange shows and rides - including the carousel. The man who runs the show, Mr. Dark, lures people with promises of youth (or, for the boys, adulthood); but there is an evil catch (there always is).

If you have an aversion to carnivals or fairs or circuses (like I do - it's the clowns, creepy fuckers), then this book will haunt you forever. It was even turned into a movie - by Disney!